Data centers that support one or more businesses, factories or residential areas typically comprise one or more racks or cabinets filled with interconnection sites for optical fibers and fiber optic cables. In a typical installation, fiber optic cables that include multiple optical fibers from an external source (these are often known as “outside plant” or “OSP” fibers) enter the cabinet and are spliced together with individual optical fibers known as “pigtails.” Splicing typically occurs in a splice tray or similar component that includes multiple splice sites. The pigtail fibers are then connected within the cabinet to standard termination sites. The termination sites include termination ports that connect optically with “jumper” optical fibers that exit the rack or cabinet to supply data or other information in optical form to the remainder of the building or site. The termination sites can be provided in a number of forms, including fiber distribution cartridges, fiber distribution modules, multi-position adapter couplers and/or bezels.
Splicing sites and termination sites are mounted on enclosed shelves that are then mounted within the rack. In many racks, splicing sites and termination sites are mounted on different shelves. The shelves will sometimes slide from inside the enclosure to provide easier access to an operator working on the termination and splicing sites. Exemplary sliding termination shelves include SYSTIMAX® models LST1U-072/7 and LST1U-144/9, available from SYSTIMAX Solutions, Richardson, Tex. Exemplary splice shelves include Model Nos. LSS1U-0725/5, available from SYSTIMAX Solutions.
Of course, housing the splicing and termination sites on different shelves can complicate or disorganize the distribution of OSP cables, pigtails and exiting jumper fibers while simultaneously reducing available rack space. However, including splicing sites and termination sites on the same shelf can result in that space being overly dense with a “rat's nest” of fibers and cables. Consequently, working on splices and terminations within that small volume can be quite cumbersome and difficult. An exemplary shelf that demonstrates the difficulty of including both termination and splicing sites is the SYSTIMAX® model LSC2U-024/5, also available from SYSTIMAX Solutions, which has the capacity for only a single splice tray.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for an improved approach to termination and splice site shelving.